Flap folding means



Aug. 4, 1953 N. ANDRE 2,647,447

FLAPYFOLDING MEANS Filed Feb. 28, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN V EN TOR. Iva/3L5 HNDRE m9 firramvzvs,

Aug. 4, 1953 N ANDRE 2,647,447

' FLAP FOLDING MEANS Filed Feb. 28, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. N BLE filvoee BY Patented Aug. 4, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FLAP FOLDING MEANS Noble Andre, San Francisco, Calif.

Application February 28, 1948, Serial No. 11,942

3 Claims.

This invention relates generally to a box making method and to means in a box making machine for folding over the flaps on a blank in the steps of making a flat, collapsed folding box of the type adapted to be quickly set up for use when desired.

One of the objects of the invention is the method of folding over closure flaps (in this instance the bottom closure flaps) of a cardboard blank from which a cardboard box is formed.

Another object of the invention is a simple, positive'and reliable means in a box folding and gluing machine for folding over the flaps in the process of making the boxes.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of improved economical, positive and simple means in a conventional box folding and gluingmachine for folding a blank to form a box substantially as shown in copending application for United States Letters Patent for Louis C. Michetti for a foldable box, Serial No. 769,052, filed August 16, 1947, now U. S. Patent No. 2,554,677.

In conventional foldable boxes of the type having bottom closure flaps, the said flaps are usually not folded until the boxes are set up. Each flap remains coplanar with the side wall of the box carrying the same until the box is ready to be set up for use, and then the operator expands the side walls to rectangular shape and the flaps on opposed side Walls are folded toward each other to perpendicular relationship relative to said side walls. Interlocking tabs and slits are sometimes then used to hold the closure flaps in position or tape or glue may be used.

In conventional box folding and gluing machines, where flaps are folded, the blanks are usually carried through the machine in a path of travel with the flaps projecting laterally relative to said path, and side fingers or folding elements fold the flaps laterally inwardly toward the center of said path. I

In the present instance, the same conventional folding machine may be used, but the bottom closure flaps are leading during movement of the blanks through the machine, instead of projectinglaterally relative to the longitudinally extending path of travel. The leading flaps are folded upwardly and rearwardly onto the body of the blank (which forms the side walls) and then at a later point the said body is folded over the flaps, enclosing them, so the bottom closure flaps are within the flat folded blank against the side walls, instead of extending coplanar with the side walls or projecting therefrom. v

Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive are semi-diagrammatic plan views showing four successive steps in the movement of the blank through a box folding and gluing machine for being carried through the latter, the conventional parts of the said machine being indicated as well as the folding devices of this invention.

Figs. 6 to 8 inclusive are semi-diagrammatic part sectional and part elevational side views showing successive actions of one of the flap folding elements in folding over a flap.

Fig. 9 is a reduced size semi-diagrammatic simplified plan view of a conventional box folding machine restricted to those portions concerned with the present invention and indicating the positions of the flap folding devices.

Fig. 10 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective View showing one of the flap folding elements and an element associated therewith.

In detail, the blanks to be folded are generally designated B, and each comprises a main body I that constitutes the four side walls of the box to be formed. Bottom closure flaps 3, 4, 5, 6 are along one edge of said body and are integrally joined therewith alon folding crease 1.

Parallel with crease l is a foldingcrease B-and top closure flaps 9, H], H are along this crease and integral with said body I.

Other pairs of spaced parallel folding creases respectively designated l2, l3, l4, 15 extend across the body I at right angles to creases l, 8 and between the latter, and creases l2 to Hi inclusive define the J'unctures between the several side walls [1, l8, I9, 28 that comprise said body. Crease l5 defines the juncture between a sealing or securing flap I5 along one edge of side wall 20, which flap is adapted to be secured to the side wall ll when the box is folded, as will later be explained.

The blank above described is illustrative of one that is adapted to be folded by the present invention, it being understood that the flaps 3 to 6 and 9 to II and iii are coplanar. The main machine to which the invention hereafter is applied is conventional and is generally called in the trade a folding and gluing machine.

In actual operation, such machines usually would merely fold blanks, such as have been above described, along fold lines l2, l4 so that the tab I6 would be glued to the margin of side wall ll.

By my invention, the bottom or leading flaps 3 to 6 are folded over onto the side walls carrying them and then the blank is folded along lines 12,14 and the tab it is glued to side wall 3 IT, all without slowing down the machine and without bodily turning the blank during its movement through the machine.

Referring to the machine and method, a pair of horizontally extending, parallel, spaced, endless power-driven belts 2%, 2i supported at their ends on pulleys 22, 23, that in turn are carried on a main frame 2 4 (Fig. 9), are adapted to support the blanks B thereon with the bottom flaps 3 to 6 mcmswe a leading position relative to the direction of movement of the blank. Said direction is indicated by the arrows in each of the Figures 1 to 9. y

The blanks at the feed end of the machine (which is indicated at the upper end ofFig S), I

successively pass below a conventibnal 'rolle'r clamp 25 and feed device 26 respectively positioned over belts 23, 2!. Said blanks are singly carried by said belts.

In the path of travel of the blank, and parmutant in t he path offlap A, is a folding devase generally designated 30. I

in the' installation illustrated, there are four rbiarg devices, one for ea'ch of' the four flaps 3", 16, which are respectively indicated at 3!, 3 2 33 saiddevic'es 3i to 33 being respectively in thepaths of travel of flaps 5', 3 and 3, the l tr two device sbeing about even with each enter in direction transversely of the path of travel of the blank, and the device 3| being preferably positioned between device 38] and devibes 33 in direction longitudinally of the ic'e 32 'i'n-Fig. fis illustrative of each of the devices 33, 31,33 and a description thereof will be equally applicable to each of the four devices;

sen" device comprises a spring wire formed to provide a downwardly projecting U-shaped finger 35, the legs of which are similarly curved lbn itudinally and positioned with their concavely curved sides facing the leading oncoming nap on the blank B: The legs of the wire are preferably coiled "around a stub shaft 33 so as n spring connection 37 between the finger and theshaft, the terminating ends 3 8= of-saiii coiled portions extending through a suitable opening in the saidshaft or being bolted 6r aseherwise rigidly held to the shaft.

arrangement in which said concavely curved sides of' the legs of "each finger face the leading edges of the bottom flaps respectively, res It's in the fi'aps turning upwardly (Figs. 6, 8) arid-back onto the body of the blank adjacent thereto (Fig. 8) In Figs. 6 to 8 the flap 4 is shown as being folded back onto side wall l8 by device 30; When'the blank reaches devices 3 1-, 33 the sanie folding action follows as with flap 4 and device 30.

nae-reap l is folded as above described, it willbe heldddwn below 'a strip 40 and will slide below said strip longitudinally thereof as the blank 'is carried forward.

Frdr'n belt-s 20, 21 the blank (with flap 4 foldedagaiirst side wall I8) will pass the folding device 3| that'i's-inthe path of flap 5, and said latter flap will be folded against side wall 13, and then the blank will pass onto belts 41, 42 that are respectively below hold-down belts 43, $4. Said "hold-Clown belts will hold flaps '4, '5 against side walls [8, H), as the blank continues its movement in the same direction.

After the blank passes the folding device 31, it will be seenthat the endflaps 3, 6 remain unfolded. These two fiapsmay be substantia'lly 4 simultaneously folded over by devices 32, 33 (Fig. 3) and at practically the same time the end flap [6 may pass over a conventional glue pot 45 where its lower side will be covered with glue.

Slightly after the flaps 3, 6 are folded over and flap 16 receives the glue, the side walls H, 20 will engage upwardly and convergently inwardly I extending rodsv 46, 4'i respectively, which rods are below saidfside walls. This will result in said side walls [1, 20 being bent upwardly and toward each other along fold lines I3, [4 and said bending will tend to prevent the unfolding of flaps 3, 6 that are above and respectively integral with side walls [1, 20 (Fig.

The convergent ends of rods 45, 4'! (Fig. 5) terminate a distance apart at which the side walls I 1, 20 are almost perpendicular relative to the horizontal side walls l8, l9 and as the blank is carried forwardly past said terminating 'e'ids the said side walls ll, 23 will be engaged at their oppositely outwardly facing sides by a substantially vertically disposed horizontally extending run or an endless'belt 5t and the transversely inclined generally downwardly facing side of an endless belt 51 V aboutthe point where said belts 50, 5| engagethe-side walls 1'1, 20, the sidewalls F8, 59 and the flaps i, 5 that are thereover will pass from below the hold-down belts 43, as to below strips 52, "53 (Fig. 5). The strip 52 extends fartlfer in the direction of travel of the blank than strip 53 (Fig. 5).

Belt it is guided below a taperedroller 54 from its slanted position to horizontal position and from its conv'e'rgentl'y extending relationship insubstantial continuation of rod W to horizontal position in longitudinal alignment with strip '53. Thus the sidewall 23-, flaps ii,

H and flap it will be caused to fold fiat, withthe flap "6' directly over flap 5 and with the glued side of flap 56 facing upwardly. The belt 5! will "function as a hold down belt for the portions-so folded, the straight horizontally dispoised hold-domiportion being designated 35. The strip 53 is relatively narrow near its tei' z'n'inati-ng end, as seen in Fig. 5 so as to clear the ffla'p E 5; and to permit the side wall 11- to overliethe said 'glued portion for gluing of said flap to said side wall 11.

*In theabove connection, as best seen inFi'g. 3, the flap '3 is "cut away along one of its edges so that a marginal part of side wall H along its free edge will be exposed when the flap H is folded over the upper 'side of flap 4. Thus when the side wall 1! (Fig. '5 is folded over s'o' tha t flap :3 will lie against the flap 4, there will 'be riotlring between the said marginal part of sidewall N th interfere with-its engagement with the g-l-lld' side "Of "fla I G.

The side wall l7 and flap'3 are caused to fold flat abate the sap 4- by belt -53 which is guided under tapered pulley 56 "to horizontal position parallel with tile pd-ltion 55-01 belt 51-. This parallel length er belt "53 is indicated at 5-? (Fig. [5). Sa id' portion- 51 functions -as-a holddown belt-and'tne folded blanks continue to be carried between-belts for ultimate discharge from thefmachineat-t'h'e end opposite sa-id feed "end.

The belts; 5+, 52-, H, 42 and the Strips 52, '53 are cdi'iv ritiona-l in theirarrangernent for foldmg blanks a orig folding creases-extending parallel belts 44, ll-2, Stlch as folding creases l2, l4. newer/er, the steps of folding the bottom closure flaps 9, l, 5, E to a position enclosed by the side walls l7, l8, l9 and 29 in the manner shown and described is believed to be new.

The detailed description of the construction of fingers 30 to 33 inclusive is not intended to be restrictive of the invention to said precise structure. The fingers as shown have been found to be highly successful and their structure is preferred, but the invention is intended to include other fingers that are adapted to function in substantially the same manner.

While the method of folding the blanks can obviously be performed manually, the use of fingers as described enables the folding operation to be performed at a high rate of speed. The fingers in no manner injure or even mark the flaps or side walls. The blanks may be carried through the machine at practically the full capacity of the machine. is that the fingers 30 to 33 return after each folding operation with suflicient rapidity to engage the leading fiaps on each of the succeeding blanks.

There are numerous ways in which the fingers 30 to 3'3 may be supported, but a part of the frame 24 of the conventional fol-ding and gluing machine is adapted for bolting bracket members 69 thereto, each of which carries a stub shaft 36 that sup-ports each of the fingers.

As already stated, the present invention is particularly adapted for folding blanks for making boxes of the type disclosed in the aforesaid application by Louis C. Michetti and which box is illustrated herein from the beginning of the folding operation to the completion.

When completed in the form shown in the lowermost folded box in Fig. 5, a mere setting up of the box by expanding side walls to rectangular form results in the bottom closure flaps 4, 6 automatically interlocking with each other below flaps 3, 5 for forming the bottom of the box. Unless all of said flaps are folded so as to be enclosed by the side walls of the box in the order described, the box will not operate to open up in the manner above described and as described in detail in said Michetti application.

The invention herein is not necessarily to be restricted to the folding of flaps in the order herein described, although such folding is preferable for the particular box illustrated. Obviously, the side wall I! could be folded before side wall 29 in the operation of gluing the tab I6 to said side wall H, but then the upper side of the tab It, as seen in Fig. 3, would have the glue and in the finished box the tab 16 would be exposed or outside the box, which is not as desirable as the box illustrated.

I claim:

1. In a machine for folding a blank of cardboard having perpendicularly arranged pairs of folding creases into a flat collapsed folding box with a plurality of bottom closure flaps forming one of the marginal portions of said blank along one crease of said pairs comprising a horizontally extending carrier movable generally horizontally in one direction for supporting said blank flat and substantially horizontal thereon for movement in said path with said flaps leading, a plurality of fingers extending downwardly across said path supported at their upper ends for swinging of their lower ends to the upper side of said blank as said blank is moved there- The only requirement past and for folding said fiaps rearwardly and flat against the body of said blank adjoining said flaps, means for so supporting said fingers, said last mentioned means being positioned for supporting certain of said fingers at different points along said path longitudinally thereof for folding some of said flaps ahead of others.

2. In a machine for folding a blank of cardboard having perpendicularly arranged pairs of folding creases into a flat collapsed folding box with a plurality of bottom closure flaps forming one of the marginal portions of said blank along one crease of said pairs comprising a horizontally extending carrier movable generally horizontally in one direction for supporting said blank flat and substantially horizontal thereon for movement in said path With said flaps leading, a plurality of fingers extending downwardly across said path supported at their upper ends for swinging of their lower ends to the upper side of said blank as said blank is moved therepast and for folding said flaps rearwardly and fiat against the body of said blank adjoining said flaps, means for so supporting said fingers, said last mentioned means being positioned for supporting certain of said fingers at different points along said path longitudinally thereof for folding some of said fiaps ahead of others, and means for folding said blank along a pair of said creases that extend longitudinally of said path after said flaps have been folded over by said fingers, and means for securing the ends of said body together at the ends of said one crease.

3. In a box folding machine having endless parallel horizontally extending belts adapted for supporting cardboard blanks having folding flaps thereon flat on said belts for movement therewith in a horizontally extending path in one direction with said flaps leading, a plurality of generally vertically extending fingers respectively supported at their upper ends above said path and extending across said path for engagement by the leading edges of said flaps, the sides of said arms facing said flaps extending slantingly upwardly in the direction of said movement at the point of engagement with said flaps for folding said flaps upwardly upon such engagement, a rigid support for each of said fingers and a spring connection between each finger and the support therefor to permit yieldable swinging of each finger in said direction of movement of such blank against the tension of said spring connection for passage of the blank under said fingers with the flaps folded flat against the upper side of the latter, each of said fingers being a U-shaped spring wire and said connection being coaxial coils formed at the ends of said wire and secured to each support at their ends that are remote from the U- shaped portion.

NOBLE ANDRE.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,370,654 Bombard Mar. 8, 1921 1,538,298 Nasmith May 19, 1925 1,836,993 Sidebotham Dec. 15, 1931 1,903,243 Peck Mar. 28, 1933 1,929,460 Wellman Oct. 10, 1933 

